Device for permanent connection between an abdominal wall and an abdominal cavity

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a structure for bringing about a permanent connection between the abdominal wall and the abdominal cavity of humans and animals. The structure is intended for the supply of medicines to the abdominal cavity in a predetermined and controlled way and it includes an anchoring plate (8) intended to be anchored in the abdominal cavity wall, and it carries a hollow projecting conduit stud (5) which is intended to open out into the abdominal cavity (2) and which has a smooth anti adhesive surface of polished or anodically oxidized titanium.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a means for bringing about a permanentconnection between the abdominal wall and the abdominal cavity of livingbeings. The means consists of an implant and is intended to administratemedicines into the abdominal cavity.

PRIOR ART

Since a few years one has implanted different objects in the bodyintended to facilitate some functions of the body, support body parts oremit medicines in desired doses. Examples of such implants are the socalled pacemaker, prosthesis and nails in bones, anchoring elements forartificial teeth and supply arrangements for medicines to the soft partsof the body.

One such example of a supply means for medicines or liquids to the softparts of the body is described in the Swedish patent 8500946-2. At thisdevice one has brought about a permanent passage in the abdominal wallinto the abdominal cavity and the arrangement comprises substantially ananchoring plate of titanium in the abdominal wail having a conduitconnection outwardly and inwardly through which one has introduced ahose of silicone for supplying the medicine or the liquid to the properplace in the abdominal cavity.

Electronically controlled pumps having a reservoir of medicines intendedto in a predetermined way give an adapted amount of medicines via pipesor channels in the body are also known implants. Deceases which can betreated by means of such implants are inter alia diabetes.

With regard to the treatment of diabetes the use of insulin has duringthe last decade become more and more individually directed with the aimto obtain a dose of insulin which is optimal for each person taking intoaccount the food intake and the activity. The importance of individuallyadapted administration in the form of injection has great influence forthe minimizing of complications inter alia in the form of vascular andnerve lesions, which can occur for patients having diabetes and whichfor example can result in impaired vision and limb discomforts. Anadministration of insulin which is coupled to the need of the patientand which is conducted by the patient or the doctor is then to beregarded as an improvement over the present injection technique. Such animproved technique is to release the medicine from an in the body of thepatient implanted reservoir for insulin. It is thus when using such areservoir with automatic administration of the insulin necessary thatthe device which makes the work does not change with time so that thesupply of medicine also automatically changes in a not desired way. Itis above all important that the opening of the cannula, the hose or thepipe which are used are not clogged by the tissue of the body which isgrowing firmly connected in the device. In connection with implants itmust be further regarded that those materials which are used arecompatible with the body of man. This means that the materials may notcause inflammation or negative reaction of the tissues in a not desireddegree or stimulate the break out of infections. Such a reaction canresult in that tissue is growing over the implant or is fastened in it.It is therefore of greatest importance that suitable materials arechosen in the implant.

THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM

It has therefore since long been a desire that at administration ofmedicines in the abdominal cavity bring about a device in the shape of areservoir for the medicines in the abdominal wall which is permanentlyfastened in the tissue and accordingly does not move in abdominal wall,which device comprises an irritation free passage of a conduit stud orthe like between the abdominal wall and the abdominal cavity and whichmakes it sure that the effluent function of the medicine into theabdominal cavity does not change or is not disturbed by overgrowing oftissue over the pipe outlet. This latter phenomena with overgrowing andclogging of the outlet has been a large problem at the known devices.

THE SOLUTION

Through the present invention one has solved the problems at the knowndevices and satisfied the wishes put on them by bringing about a devicefor a permanent connection between the abdominal wall and the abdominalcavity of humans and animals which is characterized in that it comprisesan anchoring plate intended to be anchored in the abdominal wall,carrying a hollow projecting conduit stud intended to open out into theabdominal cavity which conduit stud shall consist of pure titanium orhave a surface layer of pure titanium with a polished or anodicallyoxidized smooth anti adhesive surface.

According to the invention the conduit stud can also consist of plasticsor some other material but then being covered by pure titanium. Thatpart of the conduit stud which is closest to the anchoring plate canhowever have a rougher, machined surface. It is also possible accordingto the invention to arrange a plastic hose for the medicines within theconduit stud.

According to the invention the anchoring plate should consist of puretitanium. This should have a surface which is machined. It is alsopossible according to the invention to use other materials, for instancemetals such as zirconium or alloys of titanium or polymers such assilicone or polytetrafluoroethylene.

According to the invention the anchoring plate itself may consist of amedicine reservoir which is provided with means for automatic andcontrolled supply of medicines to the abdominal cavity through theconduit stud.

It is according to the invention also possible to arrange a separatemedicine reservoir having means for automatic and controlled supply ofmedicines to the cavity and which is connected to the anchoring plateand the conduit stud.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention will be further described in the following in connectionwith the attached drawings where

FIG. 1 shows a device partly in section according to the inventionimplanted in an abdominal wall, and

FIG. 2 shows also partly in section another embodiment of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the abdominal wall 1 with the abdominal cavity 2 inside. Inthe abdominal wall, muscle tissues 3 are indicated. The anchoring plate4 according to the invention has as is visible been operated into theabdominal wall. This carries a conduit stud 5 which penetrates theabdominal wall 1 and into the abdominal cavity 2. This conduit stud 5 isprovided with a hole 6 that via a hose 7 is connected to a medicinereservoir 8. This medicine reservoir 8 is known per see and comprisesbesides medicines also an electronically controlled pump which pumpsmedicines in desired degree, This medicine reservoir is therefore notincluded in the present invention.

The anchoring plate 4 which should be disc shaped can be provided withthrough going holes for facilitating the anchoring in the abdominal wallbut it can have any suitable shape. It must however be rounded so thatit does not press pointwise on the surrounding tissue at any place. Thematerial in the anchoring plate 4 should be pure titanium. This materialhas in different connections shown to be very suitable to be used inimplants. It is however important that the surface of this anchoringplate has a proper structure for good anchoring of tissue and it shouldtherefore be machined for example by turning and have a surfacecorresponding to a R_(Z) number in the order of size of 3. Such atitanium plate is compatible with the surrounding tissue and the tissuewill be connected to this without any appreciable medical complications.

Even though the anchoring plate 4 as described above advantageouslyshould consist of titanium having a machined surface it is however notexcluded that it can also consist of even other with the body compatiblematerials such as zirconium, titanium alloyed with for example aluminiumand vanadium and polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) andsilicone.

The conduit stud 5 that shall project into the abdominal cavity shouldalso be well rounded without any sharp corners. The material in thisconduit stud shall as said above be titanium but in this case thesurface of the titanium shall not only be turned but polished and/oranodically oxidized. That part of the conduit pipe 5 which is closest tothe anchoring plate 4 and which passes the peritoneum can also consistof machined titanium. This will cause that the tissue around the conduitstud is not fastened to this and around it so that the pipe outlet isclogged or narrowed. This is of utmost importance as the administrationof medicines that shall come from the reservoir 8 is predetermined andshould be disturbed if the outlet is clogged or narrowed. Instead of aconduit stud 5 one can use a plastic hose of for example silicone butthis should then be covered with titanium of the above mentioned kindfor preventing of being overgrown. This is especially important in thevicinity of the outlet. The channel 6 in the conduit stud 5 can bedirectly connected to the reservoir 8 in some way and thus be an outletchannel for medicines but it can also comprise a hose which goesdirectly from the medicine reservoir 8 and out to the outlet. This hoseis then protected by the titanium pipe 5. The length of the conduit stud5 in the abdominal cavity can be adapted in dependence of the sicknessthat is to be treated by the medicine that shall be administered and ofthe actual anatomic conditions but a length of up to a couple ofcentimeters is suitable.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention than the one which isshown in FIG. 1. According to this latter embodiment the medicinereservoir 8 is arranged directly outside the anchoring plate 4. In thiscase it is suitable that the reservoir 8 is screwed to the anchoringplate, the screwing should be performed by means of a pipe stud havingouter threads so that a channel is formed directly from the reservoir 8through the anchoring plate 4 and the conduit stud 5. In both of theseembodiments the reservoir 8 can be removed and exchanged withouttouching the anchoring plate 4 and the conduit stud 5. This can be anadvantage if something wrong arises with the reservoir 8 itselfincluding the pump arrangement while the rest of the device is in order.

A third embodiment can also be that one makes the anchoring plate 4 andthe reservoir 8 as a unit with attached conduit stud 5. This is asimplified construction with a more compact design but one must in sucha case when possible function errors arise take the whole device out.

Through the present invention one has obtained the advantage that onehas brought about a device having an anchoring part which can be ofdifferent design and which can be exchanged and which will be fastenedto the tissues as they grow without complications and a supply part formedicines into the abdominal cavity which is compatible with thesurrounding tissue and which by its anti adhesive surface preventsovergrowing by surrounding tissue resulting in narrowing or clogging ofthe outlet. This will give the whole administration system for medicinesa longer functional time. This advantage is increased also therethroughthat it is according to the invention possible to exchange parts of thesystem if necessary.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment examples shown but it canbe varied in different ways within the scope of the claims.

We claim:
 1. A device providing a permanent connection between anabdominal wall and an abdominal cavity of humans or animals,comprising:an anchoring plate adapted for anchoring within saidabdominal wall, a conduit having an opening extending therethrough, saidconduit projecting outwardly from said anchoring plate and having a freeend for penetrating into said abdominal cavity, said opening adapted forreceiving a hose for delivery of a medication to said abdominal cavityby passing through and being supported by said opening in said conduit,and a reservoir containing said medication for delivery through saidhose to said abdominal cavity, said conduit having at least an outersurface of pure titanium, whereby growth of tissue surrounding saiddevice into said conduit and clogging of said conduit and hose areprevented.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said entire conduit isformed of said pure titanium.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein saidouter surface of pure titanium is polished or anodically oxidized forsmoothness.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein to further prevent growthof said surrounding tissue into said device, said entire anchoring plateis made of said pure titanium.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein saidreservoir includes an arrangement for automatic and controlled supply ofsaid medication to said abdominal cavity through said conduit.
 6. Thedevice of claim 5, wherein said reservoir is connected to said anchoringplate and said conduit.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein said anchoringplate is made of a material selected from the group consisting oftitanium, zirconium, a titanium alloy, a polymer and silicone.
 8. Thedevice of claim 7, wherein said polymer is polytetrafluoroethylene. 9.The device of claim 1, wherein said conduit is made out of silicone, atleast a part of said outer surface of said conduit being covered withsaid pure titanium.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein an outsidesurface of said free end of the conduit is polished or anodicallyoxidized for smoothness.
 11. The device of claim 1, wherein said entireanchoring plate is made of said pure titanium.
 12. A device providing apermanent connection between an abdominal wall and abdominal cavity ofhumans or animals, comprising:an elongated anchoring plate, saidelongated anchoring plate being positioned within said abdominal wall insuch a manner that a longitudinal axis of said anchoring plate extendsalong a border between said abdominal wall and said abdominal cavity, aconduit have an opening extending therethrough, said conduit projectingoutwardly from said anchoring plate in the direction of said abdominalcavity and having a free end, a hose for delivery of a medication tosaid abdominal cavity, said hose passing through said opening in theconduit, at least a part of said hose situated outside said conduit inthe vicinity of said anchoring plate, and a reservoir containing saidmedication positioned in the vicinity of said anchoring plate forsupplying said medication to said hose, said conduit having at leastsaid free end thereof formed of pure titanium, whereby growth of tissuesurrounding said device into said conduit and clogging of said conduitand hose are prevented thereby.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein saidentire conduit is formed of said pure titanium.
 14. The device of claim13, wherein at least a portion of said reservoir is supported by saidanchoring plate.
 15. A device for providing a permanent connectionbetween an abdominal wall and an abdominal cavity of humans or animalscomprising an anchoring plate adapted for anchoring within saidabdominal wall, a conduit projecting outwardly from said anchoring plateincluding an opening extending therethrough, said conduit having a freeend for penetrating into said abdominal cavity, and a reservoir forcontaining medication and delivering said medication to said openingextending through said conduit for delivery to said abdominal cavity,said conduit including at least an outer surface comprising puretitanium whereby the growth of tissue surrounding said device into saidconduit and clogging of said conduit are thereby prevented.
 16. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein said at least said outer surface of saidconduit comprises polished or anodically oxidized pure titanium.
 17. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein said anchoring plate comprises a materialselected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, titaniumalloys, polymers and silicone.